Trad Gang

It was about 3 month ago that I received an email asking me if I had ever built a "heavy bow".  My initial response was yes, thinking that 80#@28" was considered heavy.  Marlon then told me that he was looking for something around 150#@30".  He continued to tell me that a heavy longbow was easy to find, but he had been searching for about 8 years for a shootable recurve.  I few people tried, but the bows would explode at 27 to 28".  I was pretty nervous at first, but accepted the challenge.  It took me 3 tries to hit the 146#@30" mark.  Hope you enjoy the pics of the bow progress below.

My first 2 attempts.  100@#28" and 145#@30".  The second bow was withing the weight range, but a "brain fart" made me cut the shelf for a RH instead of a LH.
(http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll66/jdwhisperstik/DSC01800.jpg)

Wet forning the blue suede leather onto the handle.  Elvis would have loved this grip.
(http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll66/jdwhisperstik/DSC01827.jpg)
(http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll66/jdwhisperstik/DSC01839.jpg)
(http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll66/jdwhisperstik/DSC01843.jpg)
Me stringing the bow.  I wasn't too worried about the tips twisting since they are nearly 1/2" thick without the overlays.  It looks like a piece of plywood from the side.
(http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll66/jdwhisperstik/DSC01854.jpg)
Me hanging from the rafters to check the weight one last time before shipping.
(http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll66/jdwhisperstik/DSC01851.jpg)
The finished bow.
(http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll66/jdwhisperstik/DSC01861.jpg)
(http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll66/jdwhisperstik/DSC01862.jpg)
Hope you all enjoyed.  JD

Can we see a picture of you pulling that one to full draw Jim LOL.Thats a cool bow.What kind of arrow will he be shooting out of it?

Beautiful bow JD!
My gosh Marlon!  What are you going to hunt with that thing?
 :saywhat:

I can get you a picture of me pulling it to full draw, if you consider 15" full.  I think that he shoots recycled telephone poles out of it.  He uses the nose cone off a Cessna for a field point.  Marlon will have to post some pics of his arrows.  I actually came up with the bow colors after seeing some of the awesome arrows that he builds.  Not to mention that action wood is one of the strongest riser materials that you can find.  For the record, I have been working out and shooting the 100#er.  I can hold my 55# hunting bow at full draw for about 2 minutes without even shaking now. I plan to have the 100# bow camo dipped and name it "buff".  The name has a douple meaning.  First, it will be the bow that I take cape buffalo hunting. Second, the way my back and shoulders will look after a summer of pulling this thing back.  LOL.  JD

I had fun taking the pictures...I offered to help but didn't have my hockey helmet or my protective cup!

I got the 100@28" back to about 20 or so inches...that thing was a beast.  

Funniest thing was JD hanging from the rafters pulling the bow back to check the weight and string.

Here are some of the pictures I have from my camera...

You can just see JD hanging off to the side of this one:
  (http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h138/oliverstacy/GEDC0156-1.jpg)

He has one of the same photo's but it's worth seeing again   :readit:  
  (http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h138/oliverstacy/GEDC0159-1.jpg)

 (http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h138/oliverstacy/GEDC0161-1.jpg)

Josh

That is one stout bow!

Yikes!!!   :scared:  sweet looking bow.

I someone hunting Bradley Tanks?   :bigsmyl:  
that is a neat colored bow. you could mount it horizontally and crank it and shoot the invading mongols. LOL

Hey Marlon, wanna arm wrestle to see who buys lunch, lol!?!  (Steve whispers after making sure he has a couple $20's in his wallet)

Man thats one stout bow.

I wonder if Marlon is planinig on giving Chief AJ's distance and penetration records a go.    :biglaugh:

Why in the world would someone want a bow THAT heavy?

Thats the prettiest squirrel hunting bow I have ever seen!

Now he needs to start a new thread in the typical "Is this enough bow to hunt ________ with?"

I'd kinda like to see that thing being pulled by a human too.

I can't imagine what arrows he shoots as even my 60#a at 30 inch longbow pulled to 32 with 33 inch arrows uses over 100# spine.  Whatever, they'll have to be heavy to use up the power.

F... me sideways, that's one hell of a poundage! I imagine myself killing an elephant with that thing.

:biglaugh:

Well he won't have a problem with his release.

Nice looking bow and nice job!What kind of string and how many strands.

A PASS-THROUGH with the ELEPHANT!!

QuoteOriginally posted by JRY309:
Nice looking bow and nice job!What kind of string and how many strands.

24 strand 3 bundle D-97...O.D. Green, Teal and Royal Blue, served with .024 Teal Halo.


Josh

Boy JD, I thought you lifted weights! I'm a little disappointed in you not shooting a bow before you shipped it!!!!haha If I wasn't having elbow surgery again next week I'd shoot it for you(at 10" draw maybe).

Good job on taking on this endevour. talk to ya soon!


Mike

His arrows are 1/2" barrel tapered with custom machined aluminum nocks.  He holds the national flight shooting record with a bow built by O.L..  I believe that he told me he was shooting around a 300 grain arrow out of the bow that O.L. made him for the competition.  O.L. would know the specs.  I'm hoping that his arrows for this bow are at least 1200 grains.  I think that it will exceed the 200 fps with no problem.  JD

This guy must be Lou Ferrigno's brother!!!!!!!!   :eek:

Thats very nice bow JD.That string that your friend made very nice. Marlon

Man that's cool! Nice looking bow.

QuoteOriginally posted by marlon:
Thats very nice bow JD.That string that your friend made very nice. Marlon

I just provided the material...JD made the string!

Just figured a bow needed strings to match!

Josh

P.S.  I should have pulled the bow on the pulley system since I weigh about 60 lbs more than JD but I was hiding behind his belt sander taking photos like a nancy boy!

Very nice String Josh. I was laughting see JD hanging.  :biglaugh:

If there was anything to hide from, it would've been me crapping my pants when the string that I was hanging from broke.  JD

My hernia started to flare-up just lookin' at the pics'.
BTW. JD good job on meeting the challange.

Goodness gracious!!!  Way to accept the challange JD, and follow through!  :clapper:

If it was just ten pounds lighter I'd be all over it ...  :D  

Now for string silencers.  I guess you could twist in a couple of gophers.

Anything less than 147# is for wimps!

I was wondering, does the bow come with a "do not try this at home" warning?

My elbows and shoulders hurt just looking at that baby!  Nice work BTW!

I just shot my sixty pound bow about twenty times and can feel the pain that just baffles the mind at that weight.

Nice job on the bow! Maybe some 11/32 steel rods would work for arrows or he might have to go up to 23/64  :) .
Denny

I do have a 150# 160# 170# Hill longbows.2 warbows 165#. I also have all mighty 290# training bow. Marlon

congrats on the bow marlon!  that poundage is nothing for a bulldozer like you!  awesome!  someday i hope ill be able to shoot a heavy bow!  (120# and up)

Hey Marlon!  Do you have any pics of you shooting one of your heavy bows.  I'm sure that we would all like to see strength in motion.  I would post pictures of me pulling the 100# bow, but my face turns lobster red  :mad:   and you wouldn't even recognize me.  JD

Newell-  I have a 150# RH bow if you need something to train with.  I would probably make you a great deal if you are interested.  JD

After reading the specs on this, I went out and shot my 52# and it felt like a rubber band. ( gave me more confidence) LOL

I think he's looking to get pass thrus on 3d targets!!! nice work JD!! I'll stick to my wimmpy 50 and 60 lb bows,thanks!!

QuoteOriginally posted by Jedimaster:
If it was just ten pounds lighter I'd be all over it ...   :D  

Now for string silencers.  I guess you could twist in a couple of gophers.

LOL.   :D

That thing is an anti-tank weapon!  :scared:   I can just see the outfitters add now, "The antique russian tank.. the new big game animal!" Hey Jeremy, can you make some depleated uranium trade points?? LoL!  :clapper:   That is an awesome bow.

Man JD I was just wondering what you're going to do with the righty.  I'm probably naive enough to try and shoot it.  I know I can pull 100 easier than I should, you should of seen the guy when I walked into his booth at a shoot saw a used 100# widow PLX and pulled it back just to see what it was like.

JD send me a PM with how much you want for it just for kicks.  It would be cool to have Marlon's right handed brother instead of the little sister  ;)

:clapper:     :clapper:  All I can say is WOW awesome all the way around. I will be breaking out laughing about the gophers for a few days though. I be thinking woodchucks though, much tougher hide   :jumper:

QuoteOriginally posted by Blake Dustin Adams:

JD send me a PM with how much you want for it just for kicks.  It would be cool to have Marlon's right handed brother instead of the little sister   ;)  

I called JD the morning he cut the shelf on wrong side...he didn't have much good to say!    

I tried to explain to him it was better that he incorrectly cut it right handed (and that was the incorrect side) than left handed...many more right handed people in this world that might want to give it a try.

Josh

Would be cool to see some pics of the arrow penetration on the target. I mean, even with my 70# longbow, I'm forced to pull arrows out of the tree after each shot, even at long ranges. And my target is made of 5 layers of rockwool PLUS a polystyrene block   :D

I used to shoot bows that heavy, but the arrows were going so fast they cauterized the wounds and there were no blood trails!!!!!  So I dropped back down to 60#'s.

arrows weighing less than 1000 grains burn up in flight..............

This thread is holari...halari...hollarious...FUNNY!!

I just dont know what to say. 150#????..Great job on the bow

Well done JD. That's another brute Marlon! You going after another record with it? I could dig a vid of you shooting it. How long is it?

Congrats to you both on an awesome bow build. Am I the only one who caught the "290# training bow?" Training bow????? Not to be dumb but how do you string it? I saw a cool show on Discovery Channel (I think) where they had some dudes in England shooting old style longbows like they used back in the day. 100+# and it was something to see how they used their whole bodies to draw and shoot. More pics of the bow in action!!!

So this just begs the question what it the heaviest bow ever made?

I think my friend steve gaurndner made a bow for a show called davinche code 5000# to heavy for me. Marlon

That is an awesome bow!  Great job!!   :thumbsup:

I would think that contacting the local air traffic controller would be a requirement before launching an arrow from that sucker.  

Fighter planes would be scrambling right and left...

QuoteOriginally posted by marlon:
5000#  

Holy buckets.   :scared:

I saw the bow in Jim's shop, and the reinforcements on the tips are rediculous! He reinforced everything he could and he is not kidding that the limbs are about 1/2" thick. It is a heck of a weapon! I just went out and shot my 57# whisperstik and thought I was manly, but whoa! I am girly man. The color of that bow won't matter if you hunt because you can shoot at them in the next county.

Marlon: How big a boy are Ya??? You got a chain suit to wear with that baby? If anything ever lets loose and gets ya we'll be sending flowers I'm afraid. I'd love to see pictures of you in action with that bow. I couldn't even begin to draw that bow back, my hats off to you Sir!

Brent, I know where there is two ferrets that need a home - string leaches???

great looking bow

Im thinking of getting the "little sister", a s funds will allow.

Blake, that 100# PLX wouldnt have been at Big Jim's booth would it? If so, I've pulled, and shot the same bow for a bit. Only a measly 93# at my draw though.

I coulded even string that thing and after laying block and stone for 20 years ,I can hold my own.Are you hunt tanks  :scared:

Yep that was actually Big Jim's booth but Jim was out shooting and his buddy was running the register or something, didn't meet Jim until later.  But his buddy just about dropped a golden egg when he saw me pick it up pull it back and set it back down with not much more than a shrug.

Isn't little sister a lefty? Or was the shelf not cut yet when he measured it? Or do you shoot both?

JD made it righty. Marlon

The twin so to say was cut with the shelf on the right side (incorrect at the time)...best wrong cut he ever made if it sells  :rolleyes:  .

The "little sister" wasn't cut either way at first since it didn't make weight but as JD started "training" with it he cut the shelf right handed so he could eventually shoot it.  

I talked to JD again this morning and he was surprised at the interest in the bows...I guess he's gotten several offers just waiting for someone to send the money to hold them or buy them.

So I guess if you've expressed interest you should make your mind up quickly from what I hear.

Josh

I think the Pink Action wood would have been niftier for a bow like that..

 :biglaugh:    :biglaugh:

Gator only if its 160# Marlon

Thats a girls bow.

QuoteOriginally posted by marlon:I also have all mighty 290# training bow.[/QB]

Twohundred and ninety pounds!? Can someone actually pull that?

That picture excels the pixel limit, but I can't edit my post now, due to the auctions. A moderator may delete it.

Yea if lenda try to pull my bow she will leave a turd in the floor. I got the bow it pulls very smooth and a fast shooting bow. JD did a great job. Yes blue and green is my color. Marlon

I think Lenda is stronger than most guys in here. She's on steroids, ya know.

Blake,

Its a righty. Same deal here, the fella workin there was amazed and talked about me all day. lol. I picked up and drew the 79# and another in that area, and he handed me the 90#, which I did the same with.

Sounds like someone may get little sister before I do. If so, oh well. I tried.

Kid

That picture made me cry by the way. Theres something terrifying about it. LOL!

Knowing that some MEN won't get as big as her, is enough to make you cry.

can we get a pic of Marlon drawing that thing back to 30"??

should just about start compressing your chest at that weight

Nice heavy bow, good color combo!
I have built a 115# @30# R/D bow for a guy in Rumania. He posted a video on You-Tube pulling the bow for 22 seconds.

Thanks Arnold yes i know eduard. marlon

Well-done to ya, JD! That's an accomplishment. Good luck with the buffalo venture, too. And, good on ya, Marlon!